I'm sorry it's taken so long to get back to this, but I promise I haven't forgotten about it! I will see this through till the end! And thank you to all of you for your kind comments and reviews that have given me inspiration to continue writing this, I really appreciate it! I look forward to talking to ya'll again and reading more of your reactions! :D


After visiting Chrollo's place, everything was… different.

Kurapika couldn't explain it exactly, but everything felt light. The weight on his shoulders from his talk with Shalnark was gone like the clouds of the previous day. It didn't hit him what he was feeling until he'd pushed himself up from bed at the sound of his alarm going off for work, the sense of dread he normally felt at the task strangely absent.

In fact, he was… happy.

It took a few seconds, but when it sunk in what it was he was almost giddy at the feeling, never having known or ever successfully imagined what the lack of depression would feel like, but here it was, light as a feather in his chest, giving him hope that he might be productive without a struggle and able to experience life as one normally would for once.

Briefly, Kurapika wondered why he felt that way until he remembered the tickets he'd been gifted from Chrollo two days ago and how overjoyed he'd been when getting them. The gift itself was certainly extravagant and he was happy with it, definitely, but he was more enamored by the thought and research that was put behind it. The sight of Chrollo's reaction when he had asked him to come along with him may have also been a slight contributor as well to the fluttering in his chest, but he ignored it for now, content on lingering on the image of Chrollo's blushing face.

Kurapika laughed silently at the memory, a smile spreading across his face before he knew it. He would certainly treasure that memory for years to come. Who knew he could get so flustered?

As his cat jumped up on his bed to greet him, his phone began to ring somewhere in the house, so he gave Emperor a quick pet on the head before he walked off to find his phone. He found it just in time to answer before the ringing ended, and was surprised to hear a woman's voice at the other end.

"Kurapika, yes?"

"This is he."

"Ah wonderful. This is Pakunoda," she said, and Kurapika all of a sudden didn't know how to proceed in conversation. After a few stunned seconds of silence, he spoke.

"Ah, I see. How did you—?"

"I got your contact from Chrollo. Said it was for the next family reunion."

"Oh." He didn't know how he felt about that, but his good mood seemed undeterred by the information as he shifted the phone from his hand to his shoulder as he set about making breakfast. "This isn't about the family reunion though, is it?"

"You assume correctly," she said, smile evident in her voice. "But first, how was your weekend with the boss?"

"Uneventful," he supplied, since as soon as Bonolenov had left, he had taken the couch in his place. One more night sharing a bed with Chrollo might have made him get too comfortable with him, and he didn't want that, especially since he still had to interact with him at work afterwards. "Saw everyone off except for Shalnark. He decided to stay an extra week since his job is mostly online anyway."

"Yes, he informed me," she said, and Kurapika frowned. He didn't like how the sentence hung, and he refused to fall into its trap. Instead, he changed the topic as Emperor began to rub against his legs with a purr.

"I… thank you, for the gifts by the way," he began awkwardly, trying to be as sincere as he could. "I don't have anything to give back quite yet, but given some time I can—"

"Don't worry about it," Pakunoda interrupted pleasantly. "I don't want anything in return, I just wanted you to feel welcomed and have something to open up, even if you do end up regifting them."

"I could never—"

"Don't sound so offended," she laughed. "I know you wouldn't. You seem like a good man; Chrollo wouldn't like you otherwise."

Kurapika blinked, frozen by her words as heat slowly crept up his face. Like?

"But nevermind that, Shalnark has also told me of your… situation."

"What?"

"Not all of it, of course, but he said that you might be in a bit of trouble," she continued, a slight shift in tone. Concern. "If you ever need anything—a place to stay, funds, a shoulder to cry on—I will provide it without question."

Kurapika felt his jaw go slack, and he felt the protest to her kindness on his tongue ready when she shushed him.

"It is of no bother to me, I assure you. You're part of the family now, which means you get the same love and protection as everyone else. If you need any help at all, please contact me."

Kurapika wondered how many times he'd have to be told that for it to really sink in, that it was fine to just take these gifts and give nothing in return. He supposed, almost happily, that he didn't mind being told so much.

"What can I do for you in return then?" he asked anyway, knowing it was unnecessary but feeling compelled to do so anyway.

"Normally I don't ask for things," she stated, giving a pause as if to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. "But if you could take care of Chrollo I would appreciate it. He doesn't keep us updated on his well being, and with little time to do big meetups frequently, I find myself thinking about him often."

Kurapika felt himself smiling at that and nodded.

"I can do that."

"Wonderful. And Kurapika dear?"

"Yes?"

"Do be careful too. Machi said she was worried about you this morning, so that's why I decided to give you a call today."

"Oh," Kurapika blinked, remembering hazily that Machi was the gruff one with pink hair. "Tell her thanks then. And hello as well."

"Will do," she said cheerily, and then she hung up, leaving Kurapika to stare at his phone as it lit up with 17 missed calls from Leorio and a few dozen texts from him as well. He cringed as he scrolled through all of them, seeing also a few well wishes for the holidays from Gon, Killua, and a few other coworkers and neighbors, but he opted to delete all of the notifications anyway as he got ready.

He didn't want all of that ruining his good mood, after all.

Except, that it seemed he had had it too good for four days of break, since when he had gotten to work, he instantly spied a long tan car that didn't belong in the parking lot—Leorio's car.

He cursed under his breath, debating if he should even go inside when he got another call on his cell. He almost threw it out the window until he saw it was Shalnark. He answered it immediately.

"Please tell me you have good news."

"Depends on what you mean by good," Shalnark said, heavy typing on the keyboard coming in through the background. "If by good you mean we figured out who's tracking you, then no. But if by good you mean we found something out, then yes."

"Both are fine honestly, I'll take anything right now."

"Well that makes it easy then," Shalnark joked, then getting down to business as he heard a pronounced computer mouse click over the phone. "It's not much, but what we do know is that this person sends in their reports via phone and that they're being paid with cash via transferring it digitally to their bank. I'm currently trying to hack into the bank to gain access to all accounts to see who's been getting regular payments from the clan but that's gonna take a while longer. Oh! And Aunt Anahita also found out that they lost you like, a day before Christmas Eve, which would make sense as to how you were able to show up without me being forced out of the area."

"Thank you Shal, this means a lot," he sighed, despite knowing that this information eliminated little to no one. Everyone was on their phone nowadays, and whether that was posting pictures online or texting actual location coordinates as their way of communicating was also unknown. He sighed again.

"Okay, I gotta go. I have another issue to deal with."

"Oof, rough. I'm sorry cuz. If it helps, the boss is already there so if you need any help—"

"No, it's fine," he said almost hastily, and he held back a curse. "Sorry it's just— he needs to concentrate on his work, and my personal problems are none of his concern."

"If you say so," Shalnark said, sounding unconvinced. "Take care dude."

"You too."

He took many deep breaths before he left his car and headed inside, good mood gone and dreading every second of the elevator ride up. It wasn't until he turned the corner as saw Leorio impatiently waiting at his door did he regret his decision to actually come to work for once.

"Kurapika! There you are! Do you know how worried I was? Where were you?" Leorio asked incredulously as all his coworkers stared openly at the commotion Leorio was making. He pushed down the shame rising fast to his cheeks as he marched over to the door to his office and grabbed at the man's wrist.

"Just get in the office Leorio." Kurapika said, dragging him in like a disappointed mother. He closed his eyes to ignore the stares he knew the whole office was giving him, but he had to deal with this first before he dealt with them. He closed the door behind them. "Why are you here? I thought I told you that you're not allowed to visit me at my work."

"You did but— I couldn't find you!" Leorio protested as Kurapika made his way back to his desk. He already felt done and over with the conversation, but forced a façade of neutrality. "When I went to your house you weren't there, or picking up your phone and—"

"Was it really so important to find me?" Kurapika grumbled, and Leorio looked aghast at his question.

"Of course it was!" he said, and Kurapika couldn't shake the idea that his desperation in the answer had a hidden meaning. He ignored that in favor of looking back at the abandoned project he left on his computer from before the Christmas party; a schedule for next month's meetings. He did his best to begin working on it again.

"I just—" Leorio paused a bit, seeming to search for something before he sighed. "I know you're not super close to your family so I was wondering if you'd want to spend it with friends is all. Gon and Killua were ready for it; they got off from college for winter break at the same time too but I just! Couldn't find you to ask!" He sounded exasperated at that, almost annoyed. "Hell man! You weren't where your phone said you were and I was panicking because—"

Kurapika paused, mind reeling as Leorio stopped dead in his sentence. He felt the air in the room go still for a moment before he turned slowly in his chair to look at Leorio.

"How… did you know where my phone was?"

Leorio blinked before he laughed a bit, grin too wide as he readjusted the tie around his neck. Kurapika noticed a drop of sweat fall down his face.

"Well, I mean, your phone is a GPS system ya know? And I mean! It's not exactly hard to—"

"I know how phones work, Leorio. My question is why you decided to do that for something so trivial. Surely, if anything, you can give a good reason for that."

"All I did was try to find you through GPS," he said as pleadingly as he could. "I was just so worried! I didn't know if you were okay or not and—"

"Instead of calling the police like a normal person would, you violated my privacy by going to such extremes?" Kurapika finished for him, ending the sentence with a sour note. "I'm sure you're well acquainted with my tendency to ignore phone calls by now, so how was this any different from those times? Or, have you employed these techniques before without my knowing? Am I to assume that you have always been so sneaky around me?"

Leorio shifted on his feet, a nervousness in his steps where it was not before. Kurapika wanted to yell but held it back, instead sighing to try and hold back his temper. He should give Leorio the benefit of the doubt. He was overreacting. This was probably nothing. In fact, it was probably just an off-shoot lapse in judgement is all, clouded by anxiety and panic. He changed his tone to something softer, hoping that maybe, maybe, he would get the truth.

"Can you give me any good reason why you would do this? Anything at all?"

Leorio paused for a second before he said "Because I love y—"

"No you don't!" Kurapika gritted out, those words breaking any self-restraint he might've had left as he slammed his hand on his desk, startling Leorio. "Don't you dare lie to me. Not after what you've done!"

Leorio's shoulders hunched up and he clasped his hands together and whispered a hurried "Dios mío!" He looked as if he was begging for mercy from a wrathful god. Good.

"I'm… a reporter…" he started, standing his ground despite being as frazzled as he was. When Kurapika only offered him a raised eyebrow, he continued with a cringe. "For… your family."

Kurapika had only ever read of people's stomach feeling like a pit, but had never experienced it until this moment. He would've preferred only ever knowing of this feeling in the literary sense, where all the clues and hints clicked together and suddenly changed the protagonist's view of the world, but he wasn't so lucky at the moment.

"Get out," whispered Kurapika, voice on edge as he held himself very still. He didn't know when he had stood up, but he could feel his arms shaking as he supported himself on his desk. "Now."

"What? But Kurapika—"

"I don't want to hear it," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Leave, or I will."

"But you work here!"

Kurapika felt himself move to leave before he could process what the consequences of walking out on his job could be, but Leorio moved with him, following him as he made his way around his desk. He stopped when Leorio blocked his way out.

"Move."

"No, please, you have to listen! I never intended to—"

Kurapika grabbed at Leorio's collar, grip closing around his tie and shirt lightning fast as he rounded him away from the door and forced his body against the wall to his left, hearing an audible click of teeth as the taller man's head hit it. A loud thud resounded from the wall at Leorio's impact, and if the office wasn't already listening in to this conversation before, they were definitely listening now.

"The next time I tell you to do something, it will be in your best interest to follow orders promptly." His voice came out cool and calm, but inside him a fire was raging. He had never felt so enraged and humiliated. Even when he had come out to the clan, at least that was simpler than having to deal with the betrayal of someone he had once thought of as a close friend. That was no longer the case anymore.

"Kurapika, please—"

"Shut up; I don't want your excuses Paladiknight," he said, eyes narrowing in satisfaction when he saw Leorio visibly shrink away. "Don't attempt to follow me again, or I won't hold back."

With that he threw Leorio to the side, the taller man's legs getting caught up over each other and tripping to the ground as Kurapika turned and opened his door. He was greeted by everyone in the office huddled around the doorframe, all gasping and shuffling back as their protection swung away and was replaced by Kurapika.

He could hear Leorio recovering from his fall and getting up quickly, making him want to get out of the office as quickly as he could, but Morgan was in his way. He was about to say something to him, to tell him to move or step aside, but he felt his body freeze up when a hand gripped at his wrist.

The world went greyscale, and he couldn't hear anything other than the sound of his own heartbeat. Everything felt slow—no—it had stopped, but he was moving. It happened too fast, yet not fast enough for Kurapika to not know what happened. What he'd done—was doing—was played out in front of him in excruciating detail.

His arm twisted at the same time as his hand flexed open, swiftly ripping his arm out of Leorio's grasp as soon as it slackened even a bit. Then, he turned swiftly, leg lifting as it rounded towards the taller man and kicked the side of his face, hard, and sending Leorio flying backwards into his office with an astonishing arc and speed, the world coming back to color and full motion as he landed, knocked out by the blow before he reached the ground, his body ragdolling against the wall.

Kurapika could feel himself panting, pupil at a slit as he stared into his dark office, feeling like he didn't belong, feeling off kilter in a way he wasn't familiar with, and too hyper with the adrenaline now rushing through his veins. He didn't want to know what the rest of the office's reaction was to this. He didn't know if he could deal with that right now. Or ever.

"Kurapika? What's going on?"

Kurapika's eyes widened as he turned his head sharply to see Chrollo standing outside of the crowd, clearly late to the party given his confused face and genuinely innocent and worried expression.

He felt his heart stop beating, and he couldn't respond, his mouth only gabbing uselessly as he tried to think of something, anything to excuse his behavior, to explain what had just transpired, but then he remembered his decision to leave Chrollo out of his family's business. He felt awful for it, but he didn't know how to be open and vulnerable about this whole situation with him. Not in front of his peers, and definitely not like this. And if he wasn't ready to do that before, he definitely wasn't ready to do that now.

Hot tears began to break through his demeanor at the thought, and he wasn't able to stop a few from falling before he turned and ran out of the building, making it to the parking lot in record time and driving away as fast as he could, as far as he could. It wasn't until he made it past his apartment by a few miles did he pull over to cry uncontrollably, feeling like the life he'd so carefully constructed away from the clan was falling apart with just the tug of a thread.

On the last hinges of his sanity, he called his newest saved contact.

"Hello?"

"Machi was right to worry," he said, and he couldn't keep the sob from erupting from his throat at the words, feeling so utterly desperate and alone. "Pakunoda, I think I need help."